Late last week, the science ship Tara returned from its mission to study climate change in the polar ice region. Here it is, about to dock in Norwegian Spitzberg. Its long journey through the polar region left it deliberately stuck in ice off the coast of Siberia for 500 days. If you look at the photograph below, of the ship leaving on its voyage, you can see that it's built very much like a large sailboat.

The Tara isn't gigantic or imposing, it's just made to keep its small science crew alive in subzero weather for a very long time.

Here's another view, where you can see the climate experts setting off :

BBC News says:

Last year, Tara measurements revealed the dramatic springtime collapse of surface ozone in the Arctic for the first time. Over the last 15 months, the boat has covered 5,200km (3,200 miles), including crossing the Noth Pole, drifting at an average speed of 10km per day (6 miles per day).

After photo by PATRICK FILLEUX/AFP/Getty Images; before photo by FRED TANNEAU/AFP/Getty Images.